In the weeks to come, we will see the situation between the Houthi, international shipping, and the world’s navies further develop. The goal of Operation Prosperity Guardian is to ensure the prosperity of the world by ensuring the free flow of goods and ships through the international waterways off the coast of Yemen. If the main beneficiary of the operation is one of the largest shipping corporations in the world, then there is a question of whose prosperity is Operation Prosperity Guardian truly guarding?
Operation Prosperity Guardian: Whose Prosperity is Being Guarded?

Maersk Ship Hit by Missile in the Red Sea

President Maduro to Guyana’s President Ali: You Are Opening the Door to the Devil

December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 Ms. Cat

The Venezuelan president then touched on the International Court of Justice (ICJ). He explained to Ali that going to this court of the United Nations to resolve the dispute over the Essequibo must arise from the will of both states, Guyana and Venezuela, as indicated in the 1966 Geneva Agreement, and Venezuela does not recognize this court’s right to rule on the Essequibo claim.

At that moment, Maduro brought out the list of the 119 countries that do not recognize the ICJ. As he unfolded the paper, Maduro looked at the faces of some representatives of those nations present in the room. “You, Bahamas, here you are on the list; you do not recognize that International Court,” Maduro said looking at the face of Philip Davis, prime minister of that Caribbean island. “You, Mr. Keith (Rowley), you don’t recognize the ICJ either,” he said the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago. The president closed the roll call with Irfaan Ali, whose nation likewise does not recognize the ICJ, although they went to it, in 2018, to ask it to rule on the “legal validity” of the 1899 Paris Arbitral Award, a document that placed Essequibo in the possession of Guyana which, at that time, was a British colony. Essequibo has been part of Venezuela since 1777, when the Captaincy General was founded, according to certified texts.

Venezuela and Guyana to Maintain Direct Dialogue Amid Essequibo Dispute

December 14, 2023December 14, 2023 Ms. Cat

Venezuela and Guyana to Maintain Direct Dialogue Amid Essequibo Dispute

On Thursday evening, both nations published the “Joint Declaration of Argyle for Peace Between Guyana and Venezuela.”* The eleven-point document establishes that neither nation will threaten the use of force against the other, that both committed to “resolving controversies in accordance with international law” and to “refrain[ing] from escalating any conflict.”

…

The first block of talks included the participation of CARICOM, the regional body of Caribbean states that includes and backs Guyana’s position that would have the International Court of Justice (ICJ) settle the territorial dispute over the Essequibo region.** Venezuela holds “observer” status in CARICOM.

Caracas, on the other hand, views the 1966 Geneva Agreement,** which commits the countries to work out a mutually satisfactory solution, as the only binding instrument to solve the border issue.

…

The Guyanese president added that he viewed the intervention of the ICJ as “part of the Geneva agreement” since the case was taken to the World Court following a referral by the United Nations secretary general.**

All aboard the gravy train: an independent audit of US funding for Ukraine

June 29, 2023June 29, 2023 Ms. Cat

In the absence of official scrutiny of Washington’s spending spree on Ukraine, The Grayzone conducted an independent audit of US funding for the country. We discovered a series of wasteful, highly unusual expenditures the Biden administration has yet to explain.
All aboard the gravy train: an independent audit of US funding for Ukraine

Video via Jason Hunt (Threats to international peace and security – Security Council, 9364th meeting)

MAGA Mogul Guo Wengui Charged in $1 Billion Fraud Scheme

March 16, 2023March 16, 2023 Ms. Cat

Steve Bannon’s wealthy patron “led a complex conspiracy to defraud thousands of his online followers,” federal prosecutors allege.
MAGA Mogul Guo Wengui Charged in $1 Billion Fraud Scheme (archived)

More Mass Surveillance: FOIA Docs Reveal Illegal Snooping On US Residents’ Financial Transactions

January 31, 2023January 31, 2023 Ms. Cat

If it can conceivably be considered a “third party record,” the government is going to seek warrantless access to it. The Third Party Doctrine — ushered into existence by the Supreme Court in 1979 — says there’s no expectation of privacy in information shared with third parties. That case dealt with phone records. People may prefer the government stay out of their personal conversations, but the Smith v. Maryland ruling said that if people shared this info with phone companies (an involuntary “sharing” since this information was needed to connect calls and bill phone users), the government could obtain this information without a warrant.
More Mass Surveillance: FOIA Docs Reveal Illegal Snooping On US Residents’ Financial Transactions

The Latest Digital Token Scheme from Hell: New York Fed Teams Up with Citigroup and Sullivan & Cromwell

November 21, 2022November 21, 2022 Ms. Cat1 Comment

Just two business days after the crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy and headlines swirled around the world suggesting it had used its crypto token to perpetuate a massive fraud reminiscent of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, the New York Fed thought this would be an ideal time to announce it was launching a digital token pilot with the serial fraudster, Citigroup. (See here for the unintelligible, jargonized version from the New York Fed; here for the decrypted translation from CoinDesk; and here for a sampling of Citigroup’s rap sheet.)
The Latest Digital Token Scheme from Hell: New York Fed Teams Up with Citigroup and Sullivan & Cromwell

This Is Where Bankrupt FTX’s Money Went: $74 Million for Caribbean Real Estate; $59 Million to Politicians; Tens of Millions to Big Law, Celebrity Endorsements…

November 15, 2022November 15, 2022 Ms. Cat

This Is Where Bankrupt FTX’s Money Went: $74 Million for Caribbean Real Estate; $59 Million to Politicians; Tens of Millions to Big Law, Celebrity Endorsements…

According to data at the Federal Election Commission, Bankman-Fried sluiced $36 million on the campaign coffers of Democrats during the latest campaign cycle. Ryan Salame, the Co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, the Bahamian subsidiary of FTX, dumped $23 million into the campaign coffers of Republicans and a Super PAC he created to support them, American Dream Federal Action.

S.4760 was introduced by a Democrat and has both Democratic and Republican cosponsors. S.4356 was introduced by a Republican and has one Democratic cosponsor. FTX Digital Markets’ (Bahamian subsidiary of FTX) Co-CEO donated to Republicans, but all we’re hearing about is Sam Bankman-Fried’s donations to Democrats.